Fall 2020 - Resilience

View PDF VersionThis Fall Issue of 2020 focuses on the latter part of 2020 – a year that has been fraught with struggle. The novel coronavirus pandemic has taken lives, ruined livelihoods, and changed our way of life.

And as if that weren’t enough, the Salt Lake valley was rocked by a frightening 5.7 magnitude earthquake on March 18 and a hurricane-strength windstorm on Sept. 8 that ripped thousands of trees out of the ground, knocked power out across Northern Utah, and caused extensive property damage.

Amid all the natural disasters, protests erupted after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 and continued throughout the summer as people took to the streets to demand justice and reform after a string of alleged police brutality and excessive force incidents.

A politically-divisive presidential campaign season and challenges of resuming school amid a pandemic has only added to the stress and challenge for so many families, students and teachers.

The events of 2020 will go down in history, and this issue serves as one way to document them, but it also honors the way many of our community members have adapted to the challenges. The theme that has emerged through these stories is resilience.

Fortunately, there are a wealth of resources from government, religious, nonprofit and community groups to lend assistance during these troubling times. And west-side community members are looking out for one another and continuing to shine through the darkness.

In this issue you will read about an outstanding student from Rose Park, who continued her senior project despite the disruption of the pandemic to her schooling; a community health worker from Fairpark, who has been working to reduce COVID-19 infections in her Pacific Islander community; and the many people, including the Rose Park Brown Berets, who came to their neighbors’ aid and helped clear debris after the windstorm.

You will also read about the Jordan River Commission, which has pressed forward to update a masterplan for the protection and responsible development of the Jordan River corridor, and about Tracy Aviary’s new partnership with residents of the Men’s Homeless Resource Center in South Salt Lake.

With all that is going on in our world today, West View Media staff and board members feel a sense of urgency to increase our capacity to serve as a source of trusted community news and public service journalism that promotes the general well-being of Salt Lake City’s West Side. Our content aims to increase civic engagement, expose injustice and affirm a sense of community and connectedness among our diverse readers.

We are pleased to announce that West View Media is now a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, one of the broadest networks of independent investigative and public service newsrooms in the country. This has opened up many doors of opportunity for us – access to a Listserv of journalism professionals who share resources and knowledge, free and low-cost training, and matching grant opportunities.

Donations to West View Media will be matched from November 1 - December 31 through INN’s NewsMatch program. Please include West View Media in your end-of-year giving. We need your help. If every reader donated even a little bit, we could pay journalists and cover more stories that have an impact on our community. Help us keep our community strong!

Thank you,
Charlotte Fife-Jepperson